Window shade



Jan. 29, 1929.

K. R. HAMMOND WINDOW SHADE Filed Sept. 6, 1923 lNVENTOR M/FW BY I @v Y ATTORNEYS and its Patented Jan. 29, 1929.

KARL R. HAMMOND, or

COMPANY, or WEST SPRINGFIELD, CHUSETTS.

SPRINGFIELD, MAssAcHUsE'rTs, Assrenon 10 THE SHADEX massaonusn'r'rs, A coaronarron or MASSA- wmnow SHADE.

Application filed September 6, 1923. Serial No. 661,289.

This invention relates to a product consisting of paper combined with a layer of composition material on each side of the paper and the whole constructed to form a strong window shade having flexible, soft, and pliant characteristics suitable for use on a shade roller with substantiallythe same results as a cloth window shade. y

The principal object of the invention is to provide a commercially suitable window shade with paper as factor. and coatings of composition materlal bonded on each side of the paper and so.

related to the paper as to make the window shade strong, flexible, soft, and pliant.

I accomplish this object by a particular selection of materials having the desired characteristics and then combiningthem into a definite mechanical arrangement so as to permit the finished window shade to have its strength characteristic dominated by paper flexible, soft, pliant characteristics dominated by coatings bonded to the paper.

I will describe a preferred process of producing my new product as a preliminary to pointing out its salient features.

The process consists in taking manila paper preferably made from jute or rope or paper having the. characteristic qualities of manila or similar paper, and coating same on both sides with a particular coatingmixture which will be described in detail hereinafter. The paper thus coated is then preferably brushed or embossed, or both, on both sides to render it still more suitable for the purposes herein set forth. By embossing the whole surface on both sides, the shade as a whole is made more flexible, which is an advantage in rolling it up and down on a shade roller.

This operation of coating and brushing or embossing is accomplished in any well known manner such as is commonly employed in surface coated paper establishments. Suitable apparatus for making the product is only diagrammatically illustrated.

In the drawings:

Fig. 1 represents a coating apparatus; and

Fig. 2 represents a brush finishlng apparatus;

the strength-gi i paper window shade illustrates the article and its laminated characteristics, A, B, and G.

In my invention I have a manila paper, as it comes from the manufacturer, with a mixture containing the following ingredients and in the following approximate amounts, accomplishes the desired result which is to render the paper combination comparatively soft and limp as desired in a window shade.

My base or filler is preferably clay but any other equivalent may be used such as barium sulphate, or aluminum hydrate. For my coloring agent I preferably use a pulp color, but an aniline dye, colored earths or a dry color maybe used equally as well. The sizing is glue or casein, or any suitable substitute therefor, and to the foregoing ingredients I add arelatively large proportion of glycer-. ine or the like. There mayalso be added to the above ingredients a waterproofing ingredient to prevent the color from bleeding or rubbing off the finished paper when wet. Such ingredient may be shellac, formaldehyde and ammonia together, or chrome alum. For the proportions, the followingapproximate amounts have been found to answer well. Clay in its dry state to lbs'., pulp color wet 90 lbs., casein solution 165 lbs'., shellac emulsion 25 lbs., and glycerine 701bs. The above ingredients are put into a mixing tub and thoroughly mixed, enough water being added to make the mixture flow like or have the consistency of light cream. It will be noted that the above amounts are in weight measure and it has been found in actual practice that after thesolution has been mixed and is in a liquid state that the proportion of glycerine which is put in the solution is by liquid measure about 5 parts of glycerine to 20 parts of the whole solution. This proportion of glycerine may be varied from this amount down to 2 parts of glycerine to 20 parts of the whole solution according to the stiffness of the paper to be coated or to the coating itself.

This solution is put into the color box 1 of any conventional coating machine, one type found that coating I of which is diagrammatically illustrated 1n 1 I Fig. 2 is revolving in the box 1 thereby carrying on its outer surface enough of the solution to saturate the revolving brush 3 which in turn 1 of the drawing wherein the color roll the , mechanic transfers the solution onto the paper strip 4. This strip 4 is being unwound from the roll 5 over the small guiding I'Oll' 6 and around the large roll 7 onto an endless blanket 8 ma direction as indicated by the arrows.

The endless blanket is travelling around the two rolls 9 -9 and above the blanket 8, there are transversely reciprocating brushes 10 which spread the solution evenly on the paper strip passing over the blanket 8. From this point the paper strip 4 passes over one ormore slotted rollers, 11 to a festoon drier which is illustrated by the endless belts 12 and 13 travelling around sprocket rollers 1d and 15. The. belt 12 carries dogs 16 which coact with light rods 17 to pick up the paper strip 'late the load or thickness of the coating on the paper. It has been found in actual practice that the best results are obtained for the purposes herein set forth,when the paper is loaded with approximately 20 lbs. of the above mentioned coating mixture to a ream of paper. Such a heavy coating on each side of the paper adds materially to the thick; ness ofthe paper itself, so that the combination maybe considered as a laminated structure of three layerswith the paper layer to give strength and the other layers to give the other desired characteristics of the paper window shade. I wish to emphasize the fact that the paper has more than a superficial coating applied to it. The weight and other a characteristics of the coating applied on each'side of the paper are-important, as is also the appearance the coating gives the paper.

After the paper is suitably dried it is suitable to be adapted for window shades with the exception that any slight scratch or abrasion on it leaves a mark. To overcome this, I have found that brushing on both sides removes this objection, or, the paper strip may be run through embossing rolls to make it appear more like acloth window shade and. to have the feel of the same,'or both of these finishes may be put on the coated paper. I have illustrated diagrammatically in Fig. 2 of the drawings a machine to perform the former of these additional finishes and wil now briefly describe same.

The paper roll alread coated, is represented by 1' and the strip 4 from the roll 1' is run under the small guide roll 2 and then over the large roll 3 onto a supporting mo em 10. and around the guide roll 11' and 12, and

is then wound up as shown at 13. Below the bed 10 is the revolving brush roll 14' which brushes the paper on the other side.

As the paper strip t is travellin very slowly through this machine it is o vious that every portion of both sides of the paper is thoroughly brushed. This operation prevents any scratches to which the paper might be subjected in use as window shades, from showing and leaves a light gloss thereon.

If this light gloss is considered objectionable then the paper may be put through embossing rolls in the same manner as any paper is embossed which is well known to those skilled in the art. The embossing tones downthe gloss on the surfabe of the paper and gives it more of the feel of a cloth window shade. It also has the distinctadvantage of rendering the paper window shade more flexible so as to adapt it best to the operation of rolling up and down on a window shade roller and to hang straight when unrolled.

WVhile either one or both of the lasttwo steps just described are not essential to my invention they add greatly to theappearance and purpose of the shade paper in use. Instead of brushing and then embossing, the brushing may be omitted and the paper may be coated and embossed only.

By the foregoing application of the diifernila or similar paper, bonding a covering sheet of coating mixtureon each side or sur face of the paper sheet, so as to produce a laminated arrangement of materials dominated by the strength. giving factor of the intermediate sheet, and finally choosing the coating material so as to render the laminated arrangement as a whole into a paper window sha e sufiiciently flexible, soft, limp, and pliableas well as strong to serve its particular purpose. I point out particularly that by applying the bonded covering sheets to the paper in a coating step, the desired strength of the paper is retained in the finished window shade. That is, in my method,

the desired characteristics of each layer of the laminated structure are not detrimentally afiected by any of the others.

I consider it important not merely to coat the paper,but tocoat it enough to add not only to the appearance of the paper, but also to add additional structure for mechanical purposes, as by laminating material," and thus to produce a composite laminated structure, each lamination of which has its own mechanical function. I have used the word coating with respect to the paper as a matter of distinct convenience, but the idea of laminating for a composite structure-is more accurate than mere coating. As an illustration, I add enough material in the layers covering the paper'to add substantially to its weight. But the paper isnt loaded in the same sense that it would be if the weight ingredients were added to the pulp before the paper is formed. Quite the contrary, because the intermediate layer remains paper in the same form in which it was made for strength giving purposes, as manila paper and the like are made. My additions of substantial weight on the surface of the paper, so far as the weight alone is concerned, are important because in rolling a paper window shade and leaving it rolled for a time, gives a certain set to the paper. In my invention, when unrolled, the weight of my composite structure takes the set out of the paper or prevents its usual effects because the covering layers are heavy and limp and the paper cannot have the same effect in curling the shade when hanging as it would otherwise have. Thus by the particular structure of my new window shade, it may be rolled up and down on its roller, as and when desired, and still have at all times the tendency to hang straight, an efiect which a purely untreated paper shade of any real strength would by no means have, and an effect which ordinary cheap cloth shades do not in fact have.

What I claim is: 1. As a new article of manufacture, acoated paper window shade constructed to be wound on a shade roller like an ordinary cloth shade and consisting of an intermediate sheet of strong paper having the characteristic-qualities of manila or similar paper, said sheet of paper being ering sheet of a coating mixture comprising a base or filler, a sizing, a coloring agent, and a softening agent such sheet of strong paper havmg bonded on each'side with a covas glycerine, the

proportion of said softening agent in said mixture being suflicient to render said paper window shade soft, limp, and pliable.

2. As a new article of manufacture, a coated paper window shatle constructed to be wound on a shade roller like an ordinary cloth shade and consisting of "an intermediate sheet of strong paper having the characteristic qualities of manila and similar paper, said sheet of paper being bonded on each side with a covering sheet of a coating mixture comprising a base or filler, a sizing, a water-proofing agent, and a softening agent such as glycerine, the proportion of said softening agent in said mixture being suflicient to render said paper Window shade soft, limp, and pliable.

- 3. As a new article of manufacture, a

coated paper window shade constructed to be wound on a shade roller like an ordinary cloth shade and consisting of an intermediate the characteristic qualities of manila or similar paper, said sheet of paper being bonded on each side witha covering sheet of coating mixture comprising a base or filler of earthy substance, a sizing agent such as glue, a coloring agent, a water-proofing agent, and a softening-agent such as glycerine, the proportion of said softening agent in said mixture being suffi cient to render said paper window shade soft, limp, and pliable, and said paper window shade having a finished surface to prevent marrmg. I

4. As a new article of manufacture, a coated paper window shade constructed to be wound on a shade roller like an ordinary cloth shade and consisting of an intermediate sheet of strong paper having the characteristic qualities of manila or similar paper, said sheet of paper being bonded on each side with a covering sheet of coating mixture comprising a-base or filler, sizing, a coloring agent, a water-proofin such as glycerlne, the proportion of said softening agent in said mixture being approximately 20% of the whole to render said paper window shade soft, limp, and pliable.

In testimony whereof I have affixed my signature. l

KARL R. HAMMOND.

agent, and a softening agent 

